(CNS): Phase one of the Linford Pierson Highway project was officially opened Friday morning, completing an important part of government’s plans to improve and expand the road network in and around George Town. Justifying the stretch of widened road, which is just over one-mile long and cost CI$7.1 million, the acting director of the National Roads Authority, Edward Howard, pointed out that 15 years ago the highway carried around 13,000 vehicles per day, compared to 21,000 today. He said the new four-lane road would offer a quicker and smoother commute for motorists.

Although there will be a second phase for this road, the government is shelving that stretch as it turns its attention to a new airport road and the connection to Elgin Avenue, as well as other roads around the capital. The second phase is also contingent on the acquisition of land currently occupied by an equestrian centre, and government continues to negotiate with the landowner.

During phase one government also had to purchase land, including two family homes, and spent over $3.5 million on those acquisitions and compensation.

Describing the completion and official opening of the widened road, Planning Minister Joey Hew, who has responsibility for the NRA, said he was pleased to have reached the milestone.

Roy McTaggart, the district’s MLA, at the opening of Linford Pierson Highway expansion

“Our community is growing,” he said. “Our infrastructure has to improve to meet the growing needs. We understand that it hasn’t always been convenient but we are grateful for the public’s patience.”

Howard explained that the project had taken a little longer than expected but the NRA had ensured that at no time was the highway completely closed.

“We were mindful of the high level of vehicle trips this road accommodates and we wanted to minimise the disruption to traffic as much as possible, so we never closed the road in its entirety at any period. Work was planned so that only short sections of the road were inaccessible for short durations,” he said.

With the completion of this project, Howard stressed the safety aspects, pointing out that with four lanes, a median and guard rails, the possibility of head-on collisions, the most dangerous type of road crashes, has been dramatically reduced.

Stretching from Agnes Way to Silver Oaks, the LPH is now 100 feet wide, with two lanes in each direction and a bicycle lane. The road has been elevated, and has improved drainage and better lighting, Howard said, noting that the road had been designed with a duct bank to accommodate utility lines, so that there will be no need to dig up the road.

Good start, but the Hurley’s round about is where the real problem is. I don’t know what they can do about it short of an overpass or underpass. If there was an overpass or underpass the traffic issue would be solved at least for evening rush hour traffic. As it is now, the extra lane is only good for stacking up more cars with the illusion of getting further faster.
The under/overpass will never be allowed by the obstructionists, so I guess we’ll just have to suffer.

If people stayed in the correct lanes approaching the roundabout and used them properly the traffic would flow a lot faster. One issue is too many people using the outside lane incorrectly and subsequently causing a backlog from other roads joining the roundabout.

During rush hour its pretty much impossible to use the left lane only when heading east through the Hurley’s round about. It’s stop and go bumper to bumper with constant interruption coming from south sound. Even if everyone did use the left lane only when intending to continue east, you’d be right back to one lane theory again. Maybe a third lane..or as someone else mentioned, putting a traffic light at the south sound entrance to the round about that was only active during rush hour. That might help.

I think that as someone else here mentioned, maybe a traffic light that only works during rush hour might assist with traffic at Hurley’s.

Another idea I had is to have this stretch function as 3 lanes going into town in the mornings and 3 leaving in the PM. It would take some thought and coordination but I’ve seen this done in other countries and would need little modification to the current roads.

Another idea could be to build a parking lot around the grand harbour area and have some type of shuttle buses taking you the rest of the way in, although this really would just be the same as improving public transport but on a much smaller scale.

If you allow them to safely do that, they certainly would. Think of a teenager who just got lincensed or your grandma, they get nervous when you flash your lights. The former still learns the ropes, the later needs more time.

The point really is that they should already be in the left lane, the right lane should only be used for passing in a perfect world. You move to the right lane to pass a car, once you pass them you move back into the left lane. Unless of course you coming up to a turn or a roundabout where you need to be in the right lane for other reasons.

What happens when the next hurricane comes and the trees obstruct the road
Trees should never be on the very edge of the roads especially larger roads that connect vital services and equipment to the more remote sections of the Islands

Lightpoles and power lines are bad enough

The last thing we need is more obstructions during times of national emergency

8:27am: sorry but that will not happen with the probable con argument being that the roots will tear up the asphalt and that the cars heading westwards cannot see the cars heading eastwards due to the trees!

If you notice all the bypass roads ie Hurley Merren and Linford Pierson and the east west arterial all have extra room on the inside This is to allow for future widening from 1-2 lanes or 2-3 lanes. They built the round about with the 3rd lane.

The logic behind doing the roads that way is that future expansion to the additional lanes will be on the inside and cause minimal interruption to traffic.

Good start, Now just add a large number of speed bumps on Old Crewe Road to slow down those vehicles racing to South Sound road to cut in traffic and only just causing delay at the the Hurleys traffic circle.for the main traffic flow.

Considering the number of trucks and SUVs in Cayman, speed bumps aren’t really a very effective speed reducer in my opinion as these larger vehicles can still go over them at high speed. A cop don’t there a few times would help and they seem to have been doing that quite a bit lately, just not down that particular road.

On another note I think that old crewe rd should really just be blocked in the middle, it does nothing positive for traffic. That or put a traffic light at each end on a long timer for rush hour, people might not be in such a rush to use it then.

Actually, I think there shouldn’t be any left turn between 4pm – 7pm from Old Crewe Road onto South Sound. Just has there is no right turn unto Old Crewe Road from South Sound during the morning rush hours.

Roads do not solve the traffic problem.
Better public transportation, flextime work, 4 day work weeks, moving jobs towards the east, demanding private schools to use busses, driving lessons, work from home etc, will.
All these roads still end up in one parking lot or tiny roundabout.

What’s hard to swallow is that government paid 3.5 million to acquire the two homes/ properties and then build them new ones. The two houses were run down to begin with. Then to build two new ones. Something just doesn’t add up.

Planning Minister Joey Hew should meet personally with the equestrian centre owner and push to resolve the issue quick for the good of the people. Relocate the centre at CIGs expense. We need the road!!!

If the equestrian owners and patrons that petitioned against the road coming through their property can’t see and feel the value of straightening that road now they are blinded by their selfishness. Everyone else who gets displaced by government roads has to live with it and adjust. Your horses and patrons will too.

There is perfectly empty land on the other side of the road. The equestrian center is not a problem. The problem is that once the NRA draws a dotted line on the map, it refuses to ever make any adjustments when years later it starts building.